Search
Close this search box.

Graduation Rate in Okaloosa County is one of the best across the Panhandle

👩‍🎓👨‍🎓

At last week’s Okaloosa School Board workshop, Superintendent Marcus Chambers gave the board an update on the District’s graduation rate. 

According to the Florida Department of Education, Okaloosa County has increased 6 percentage points in the past five years and currently stands at a 92.2% graduation rate.

  • This is 2.1 percentage points above the state average, according to Chambers.

“Our goal in the Okaloosa County School District is to prepare our students to not only graduate from high school, but also to be prepared to successfully enter college, the military, or the workforce,” said Chambers.

Here’s how other counties in Northwest Florida ranked:

  • Wakulla – 95.5%
  • Leon – 94.0%
  • Calhoun – 93.1%
  • Walton – 91.4%
  • Holmes – 90.8%
  • Santa Rosa – 90.3%
  • Bay – 90.2%
  • Washington – 87.9%
  • Escambia – 87%
  • Gulf – 86.5%
  • Jackson – 84.1%
  • Gadsen – 82.7%
  • Liberty – 82.6%
  • Franklin – 74.4%

Federal regulations require each state to calculate a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, which includes standard diplomas but excludes GEDs, both regular and adult, and special diplomas.

  • The U.S. Department of Education (USED) adopted this calculation method in an effort to develop uniform, accurate, and comparable graduation rates across all states.
  • The USED required states to begin calculating the adjusted cohort graduation rate in 2010-11.
  • This graduation rate is currently used in Florida’s school accountability system in the school grades calculation.

As for the state, Florida’s high school graduation rate increased by 0.1 percentage points over the last year and has increased significantly during the past 18 years. The rate rose from 59.2 percent in 2003-04 to 90.1 percent in 2020-21, which is a 30.9 percentage-point increase. 

Join the conversation...

Continue reading 👇

Community Comments

“The Big U! The NMU supplied the unlicensed crew and when we lost this ship and its jobs and when U.S. Lines went bankrupt, we were on our way to...”
Respond
“Highschool is finna be more crowed now. We need another highschool not a middle or elementary school.”
Respond
“This is bittersweet. I spent a wonderful week in Cay Sal Banks on the Pilot in 2006. I will have to go pay her a visit soon....”
Respond
“I agree with Jerome. What will this accomplish since both ends are only 4 lanes?”
Respond
“The parking lot at McGuires would disappear along with the parcel that Destin purchased at the bridge.. Flooding on Okaloosa Island would close an expensive update to 98 , at...”
Respond
“This will not make a difference for traffic passing through the center of Destin along Rt. 98. The smart option is to complete the Brooks Bridge and intersection in Ft...”
Respond
“Doesn’t it still end up with 4 lanes on either end after bridges? Seems more aesthetic than a traffic plan. Which is nice too but does it increase the function?”
Respond
“It would be a money pit let’s sink it for the tourists who we don’t have enough of so more will come”
Respond
“Traffic moves pretty well on that stretch of 98, I don't see the need to waste the money. Maybe do something to deal with the traffic in Destin, and Mary...”
Respond